On Martyrdom

Added Feb 22, 2004 (2nd Muharram)

The word "shahid" (martyr) means "witness", in the sense of one who
is a witness to the Truth of God as manifested in the Qur'an, in
history, in the world, and within one's own self. It describes a type
of person who has clearly understood the deep distinction between truth
and falsehood and who, by the example of his life and the manner of his
death becomes a criterion (furqan), a standard of judgement between
right and wrong. By fulfilling the principles of The Criterion (that
is, the Holy Qur'an) in his life, he becomes an example of principle
put into practice, of ideology transformed into reality. Both his life
and his death witness to the Truth of the Qur'an as both are a
reflection of the principles found therein. "Surely my prayer and my
sacrifice and my life and my death are (all) for Allah, the Lord of the
worlds." (Qur'an 6:162)

The heart of the word is in the act of witnessing. Yet a man cannot be
a witness to Truth unless he has recognized, understood, and made it a
part of himself, of his personality and of his very being. So hand in
hand with the concept of shahid there is the unavoidable implication
that one has achieved a "consciousness" (taqwa) of God and of what he
has commanded. This consciousness then leads to an awareness of
existing conditions in the world and the will, the perserverance, the
patience, and the knowledge to transform these conditions and bring
them into a balanced confluence with Truth.

It is a movement from inner realization of Truth to the outer
fulfillment of it. Without the first, there cannot be the second. A
person cannot be an accurate witness to a process or event of which he
has no understanding. The deeper the understanding, the greater the
value of the Witness becomes. And the greater the value of a thing, the
more keenly its loss is felt. Yet the paradox is that it is precisely
those who have the greatest worth (in the sense of knowledge, correct
understanding, and correct practice) who are the most acutely aware of
their responsibility as Muslims...and these are the ones who carry out
their submission even to death.

There are few men in history who had a greater right to live, a greater
worth than Imam Husain (a.s.) yet it was he who made the sacrifice and
fulfilled the duty of witnessing to the truth in a time when the truth
was being distorted and twisted by a regime (the Umayaads) who wore
Islam as a mask (using it only as a means to power and wealth) and used
the Qur'an as a wrapping to conceal their inner corruption.

The lesson taught by the martyrs of history is one of vital importance
to the ummah of today. The actions of a shahid are a microcosm of the
principles found in the Qur'an. It is the martyrs who bring these
values into focus and who, through their blood, revitalize a stagnant
and fearful ummah. This is why the Qur'an bestows upon the martyr such
a high and noble standing within Islam and before God. They have lost
their lives, their physical bodies but have given fresh impetus to the
Truth of Islam and have themselves become a standard and ideal for
future generations.